


This Race is a Prophecy

by gczebos



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Richie Tozier, Hurt/Comfort, Hypothermia, I have been meaning to write this for ages so please let me know how it is, M/M, Protective Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier Whump, So beware, and if y'all want a sequel or nah, but we do have, there isn't any actual violence in this fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-02-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:00:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22516630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gczebos/pseuds/gczebos
Summary: And so, Eddie ran. Eddie ran even though his mother always told him not to, he ran down the block even though the sidewalk was icy and he could’ve slipped and fallen and cracked his head wide open in a split-second, he ran in the freezing cold without his jacket or hat or gloves or scarf or shoes and maybe his feet were freezing and maybe he was trembling and maybe he was trying not to cry but he ran nevertheless, he ran as fast as he possibly could because Stan’s house was getting closer and closer and all of the other losers would be there and Stan’s parents too and they’d be able to help Richie before it was too late.Eddie ran because if he didn’t…he couldn’t think about that. Not right now.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, The Losers Club & Richie Tozier
Comments: 9
Kudos: 210





	This Race is a Prophecy

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends! It's been forever, but here's a fic I've been planning in my head forever, so please enjoy!
> 
> TW: hypothermia/freezing character, bullying, near death situation
> 
> Check out the notes at the bottom for more, and follow me @gczebos on Tumblr to come tell me how this fic was!

As of 4:08 PM this very afternoon, Eddie was officially fourteen years old. Two more years until he could get his license ( if his mom would even let him ), and four more years of living in this shitty town until he could get out for good without anybody stopping him. Eddie was one step closer to being a real adult, and he couldn’t be happier.

It had been decided that his birthday party would be at Stanley’s house. Sonia Kaspbrak refused to have any of his “heathenous friends” over at their place, but allowed Eddie to have a party with his closest friends at the home of a trusted adult. 

His mother didn’t trust Beverly, Richie, or Mike in the slightest ( and if she didn’t trust them, lord knows how their parents must be, raising little scoundrels ). She used to trust the Denbrough family, but after losing Georgie that friendship vanished. Ben’s mom was too new, and that left only the Uris family to host the children for the evening of fun. They agreed, knowing all too well that Eddie Kaspbrak wouldn’t have a party this year if they didn’t, and both parents felt that he deserved one.

It was now growing closer to 5:00 PM on this fine winter evening, and Eddie had just zipped up his jacket, tugged his hat on, and wrapped himself up with a warm scarf. All that was left was his warm winter gloves and the snow boots his mother insisted he wear ( he thought they looked childish, but his feet did always stay nice and cozy when he wore them ). He picked up his backpack full of sleepover supplies, and with a bright smile, he made his way to the front door.

“Eddie-bear, you’ve got your inhaler, right?” Sonia asked just as he was about to escape his house for the day. 

“Of course, mommy. I’ve got all of my medications.” He lied, crossing his fingers behind his back. He did have his inhaler - he’d found that it helped whenever he had a panic attack, or shortly after having nightmares about that damned clown. The pills however...he wouldn’t need to bring them to his party. Anything that could happen to him would be able to be solved by the basic first aid kit over at the Uris house.

“Alrighty dear. Happy birthday, be safe and make sure you don’t slip on any of that ice! You’re sure you want to walk all the way there? I could drive you, Eddie-bear, I’d just have to get something nicer to wear and we’d have to stop by the gas station to make sure the tank is full -”

“It’s alright, I can walk! It’ll be faster anyway, and your favorite show will be on soon.” Eddie replied quickly, his eyes on the kitchen clock. If he didn’t leave soon, he’d be late for his own party.

“I suppose you’re right. Call me right when you get to the house, promise?”

“Pinky promise, mommy! Thanks, I’ll see you tomorrow morning after the sleepover!”

Eddie Kaspbrak rushed out the front door, escaping from his house with a grin and his fist in the air.

* * *

The journey to Stan’s house took about fifteen minutes on bike, but closer to twenty-five walking. Considering that Derry now looked like a winter wonderland after the most recent downpour of snow, it would take him closer to thirty-five minutes to walk there through the snow without slipping on any ice. Eddie didn’t mind the distance - it was nice to be able to walk somewhere and let his thoughts wander as he traveled. He was so used to being flanked by the other losers whenever he went anywhere - the peace and quiet was a lovely change of pace.

Now that he was officially fourteen years old, Eddie had decided that fourteen would be his year. He’d go on his first date ( he’d already decided that it would be at the diner down the street from the Aladdin, the one that served strawberry milkshakes and banana splits, now all he needed was someone to go with ), he’d have his first kiss ( he’d planned this one out too, over at the park by the gazebo where all of the prom kings and queens always had their romantic rendevous ), he’d get straight-A’s in all of his classes, help Ben safety-check the clubhouse, and maybe he’d even try out for the track and field team ( he was still worried that his lungs weren’t quite ready for him to run, but the doctor had told him from a young age he’d be great at running, and perhaps fourteen was the time to give it a try ). Fourteen was going to be his year, no question about it.

The sound the snow made beneath his boots as he walked along was more than satisfying, and Eddie always found that walking directly on the snow was the perfect way to avoid the sometimes invisible ice on the sidewalk. Snow was falling silently as he walked on by, and although his face was freezing, he could catch a snowflake in his hand and see it’s exact form before it melted, and that was worth the cold wind.

It wasn’t only his future he was thinking about on this afternoon, however. It was his birthday, and like any child on their birthday, he wondered what his friends had gotten for him. Before the losers, he’d only ever had birthday celebrations with Bill and Stan, sometimes Richie ( if his mother had been feeling nice that day ). Now there was Bill and Stan and Richie and Mike and Ben and Beverly, and they were all old enough to buy each other gifts without their parents needing to go to the store with them. Gone were the days of toys that someone’s parents thought he’d like - last year Beverly had hand-stitched “Losver” in black and red onto a denim fanny-pack she’d found at an old thrift store. Personal gifts, some bought, some hand-made - made birthdays all the more fun, in Eddie’s opinion. He couldn’t wait for what was in store at their losers club sleepover tonight.

* * *

He was a little more than halfway to Stan’s house when his silent walk was interrupted by a soft groaning noise. Eddie’s hand immediately went to his inhaler - the leper had made such horrible sounds and they killed that clown in the sewers two summers ago but that didn’t mean he was really dead and gone, they could have made a mistake, he could still be wandering around Derry terrorizing children while they ate popcorn and watched bad movies.

The noise came again, this time sounding more like a whimper than a groan. The leper didn’t whimper, but it could be a trick. Eddie scanned his surroundings, trying to place the sound. He walked a little further down the street, and the sound echoed for the third time as he passed by an alleyway between two small shop buildings.

All of a sudden, Eddie’s fear of the leper dissipated, and was replaced by a new fear entirely.

There, lying in a pile of snow, wearing nothing more than his boxers, was a black and blue Richie Tozier.

Eddie rushed to his side, dropping his backpack and kneeling beside the half-conscious boy.

“Richie? Holy  _ shit _ , Richie what happened?” Eddie asked frantically, trying to ignore how blue Richie’s lips were turning in the cold, and how his entire body shivered.

“...E-Eds…?” Richie’s voice croaked out, one eye opening and the other struggling to due to the swelling from what Eddie assumed was somebody’s mean right hook. 

“Yeah, it’s me, hey buddy - holy fuck, we’ve gotta get you inside, how long have you been - what happened?”

“B-B-Bowers.” Richie replied, his shoulders moving ever so slightly in what Eddie guessed was a sad attempt at a shrug. Eddie looked around for any sign of Richie’s clothes, but found only more snow.

“Your clothes -”

“B-Bowers.” Richie repeated, a defeated look in his eyes. 

Eddie could have killed Bowers on the spot right then and there. It wasn’t enough for Bowers and his cronies to beat the shit out of Richie, no, they had to take his clothes and leave him to die in the cold? What if Eddie had taken a different street? What if Richie had already gone silent by the time Eddie walked by? What if nobody had known until it was too late to fix anything?

_ But it’s not too late to fix things,  _ Eddie thought. 

He began taking off his outer layers - he pulled his jacket off, his hat off his head, his scarf, and his gloves. The cold air hit Eddie hard and made him wish he had his winter gear back on, but Richie needed it more. Eddie sat Richie up, trying his best not to cry when Richie’s shivering chest leaned against Eddie’s own, his chin resting on Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie managed to get the jacket on him with little trouble, the rest of it even easier after that. Richie looked a little silly, sitting in the snow with no shirt but a full winter jacket on, boxers, no socks, no shoes, but a scarf, a hat, and some gloves. 

No shoes. He had no shoes on.

Eddie made a decision in that moment that if his mother ever found out, she’d ground him for life for.

He took off his snow boots, he took off his socks, and started putting them on Richie’s feet. His toes were starting to turn blue, and Eddie couldn’t let Richie lose any toes to the cold while his feet were warm and snug in his shoes. Richie, however, didn’t like the idea so much.

“E-Eds, _ no _ .”

“Do not argue with me on this, Richie.”

“B-b-but y-your f-feet -”

“My feet will be fine, your toes on the other hand, look like they’re ready to fall right off.”

“Y-You can f-fix me up, D-D-Doctor K -”

“Richie, this isn’t funny, you could - they just left you for -”

“I’ll b-be f-f-f-fine, S-Spaghetti-man.”

“Let me put these shoes on your feet so help me god -”

And out of seemingly nowhere, Richie started to cry. Eddie, already alarmed from the situation, was full-on-panicking now.

“Richie? Fuck, fuck - hey, it’s okay, we’re - you’re gonna be fine, Rich, we’re gonna get you all warmed up, okay? It’s gonna be fine, you’re - you  _ have _ to be okay, okay?”

Richie let out a small whimper, breaking Eddie’s heart. “E-Eds, ‘m s-sorry.”

That took Eddie by surprise. “Sorry?”

“Y-Your b-b-birthday, I d-d-d-didn’t mean to r-ruin -”

“Shut the fuck up, Trashmouth, you haven’t ruined anything, okay? You’ve got nothing to be sorry for, nothing at all to be sorry for. My birthday isn’t that important, it’s just a day.”

“B-But -”

“No buts. My birthday’s just a day, Richie;  _ saving you is a thousand times more important than a stupid birthday party, I don’t want any gifts if it means leaving you here to die _ .”

Eddie didn’t know when it started, but his tears mirrored Richie’s own. They sat in silence for a moment, Richie seemingly shocked at Eddie’s statement. Eddie finished putting the socks and shoes on him, then he tried his hardest to stand Richie up. 

Unfortunately, Richie had recently gone through a major growth spurt. Eddie did his best to support him, but most of Richie’s limbs were currently out of commission due to the cold, and Eddie wasn’t quite strong enough to support him for more than a few seconds. 

They’d never make it to Stan’s like this.

Eddie set Richie on the snowy ground once more, and then made another decision his mother would ground him for. 

“Richie, listen to me. I need you to stay awake, alright?”

“O-Okay.”

“I’m going to get the rest of the losers and maybe even Stan’s parents, I won’t be more than ten minutes, tops.”

“B-But - t-ten m-m-minutes?” Richie asked, knowing full well that it took longer than that to get to Stan’s from here, especially in the snow.

“Ten minutes. Think you can do that for me, Rich?”

_ For you, I’d do anything,  _ Richie thought. He just nodded instead.

“Please stay awake. I’ll be back with help, okay?” Eddie asked, trying his best to keep his breath steady and not feel about the way his bare feet felt in the cold. Richie nodded again, giving him a small smile despite it all.

And then, Eddie ran.

* * *

Eddie had always known he was meant to run, but he’d never been allowed to when he was younger, and he’d always been afraid to try it for himself. But now? He had to run. 

And so, Eddie ran. Eddie ran even though his mother always told him not to, he ran down the block even though the sidewalk was icy and he could’ve slipped and fallen and cracked his head wide open in a split-second, he ran in the freezing cold without his jacket or hat or gloves or scarf or shoes and maybe his feet were freezing and maybe he was trembling and maybe he was trying not to cry but he ran nevertheless, he ran as fast as he possibly could because Stan’s house was getting closer and closer and all of the other losers would be there and Stan’s parents too and they’d be able to help Richie before it was too late. 

Eddie ran because if he didn’t…he couldn’t think about that. Not right now.

Eddie ran until his lungs were on fire and his cheeks were red and his body was trying to stay warm despite all of the winter clothes he’d just taken off, and he ran until he was tripping up the front steps of the Uris household, knocking on the door with great ferocity.

Bev opened the door, all of the other losers behind her wearing party hats.

“Happy birthday!” They shouted, their voices suddenly falling silent as they saw the tear-stained birthday boy trembling at the front door.

“Eddie?” Beverly asked, two gentle hands placed on his shoulders as he caught his breath.

“R-Richie, it’s Richie -”

“What’s wrong?” Mike asked, the party hat already off his head.

“H-He’s,  _ fuck _ , he’s hurt and cold and - w-we need to get there, f-fast, or else - he could -”

Stanley was running into the kitchen before Eddie could finish, calling for his parents. The other losers were quickly grabbing their coats and heading out the door and to Donald and Andrea’s mini-van. Bill grabbed a blanket from the living room and wrapped it around Eddie’s body. Ben and Beverly kept him squeezed between them in the backseat of the van as Donald began driving down the road to the alley where Richie was. 

“Eddie, he’s going to be okay.”

“What if he’s not, Bev?”

“He will be, he will be.” Beverly repeated, hugging Eddie tight as the car drove down the block, faster than the speed limit.

_ Please be okay, Richie. Please. _

* * *

The van pulled up to the alleyway, and eight bodies immediately rushed to Richie’s side.

“Richie, Richie - hey, it’s us, come on, open your eyes -”

“Holy shit -”

“Who - what happened to him?”

“B-Bowers and his gang -”

“T-T-T-Those a-assholes -”

“Richie, c’mon man, this isn’t funny anymore -”

And Eddie was suddenly crying even harder because Richie’s eyes were closed and he wasn’t making any bad jokes anymore, and Eddie had left him there, just like the Bowers gang had -

“I’ve got him.” Donald Uris said, picking up Richie gently and bringing him back into the car. The losers all piled back in, taking off their coats and placing them on Richie to blanket him with warmth. Andrea turned the car heater as high as it would go, and Eddie held Richie’s head in his lap because he needed to feel Richie breathing, he needed to know that Richie was still alive.

* * *

Andrea Uris worked as a nurse ( although she was more than qualified to be a doctor, Derry was not too thrilled about having a female doctor on board at the hospital ), and once Richie was brought back into the Uris household, he was settled on the couch and covered with every blanket in the house. Andrea threw a few small towels into the drying machine to warm them up, taking them out once they provided enough heat and placing them gently on Richie’s neck. The losers sat in a semicircle around him, Beverly holding Eddie tight to her side. 

It took a few minutes, but Richie finally opened his eyes.

“G-G-Guys?” He mumbled, trying to turn his head to face his friends. 

“Richie, oh, thank  _ fuck _ .”

The group seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief, and all of them moved closer to Richie’s side now that the frozen boy was awake.

“Y-Y-You c-came b-b-back.” Richie said, looking directly into Eddie’s eyes.

“Of course I came back, dipshit, I wasn’t going to just leave you there.” He replied, no venom behind his words. 

“H-Happy birthday.” Richie smiled. 

“Yeah, happy birthday Eddie.” Ben added on, shortly followed by an echoing of happy birthdays from the other losers.

“What movie are we watching?” Stan asked Eddie, holding out some options. Eddie chose  _ The Princess Bride _ , much to Ben’s excitement and everyone else’s chagrin. Eddie didn’t mind. Everyone took their seats, Bill put the movie in, and things seemed on their way to being okay again. Eddie gently lifted Richie’s upper body, sitting on the couch and letting Richie rest on his legs. He let his hands gently brush through Richie’s hair, a blush coming up to his cheeks when Richie nuzzled into his touch. Normally when  _ The Princess Bride _ played, Richie would be quoting the entire thing, different voices booming from his lips while the other losers tried to keep from laughing. Today, Eddie was just grateful to have Richie here, safe and  _ alive _ . 

“Eds?” Richie whispered as Inigo Montoya fought the man wearing the black mask.

“You okay, Richie?” Eddie replied, his heart rate picking up, worried something was wrong again.

“Yeah, y-yeah. It’s uh -” Richie glanced around, noting that the other losers were all paying attention to the movie, or at least to one another. “Bowers. He - he took your gift.” Richie admitted quietly. 

Eddie frowned. “That’s not your fault, Rich.”

“I know, it’s j-just - I worked h-h-h-hard on it, and I w-wanted you to have a perfect b-birthday.”

“It is a perfect birthday.” Eddie whispered back to him, wishing that Richie wasn’t sporting all sorts of bruises and cuts from his fight with Bowers and his gang earlier. “You’re here.”

Richie smiled a goofy smile, bopped Eddie on the nose, and turned his head back to the movie as best he could. 

It may not have been the birthday party Eddie was expecting, and it may have given him a heart-attack and a half, but Eddie wouldn’t change it for the world. He continued playing with Richie’s hair, a soft smile on his lips, as Buttercup and Westley tumbled down the hill together with the promise of  _ as you wish _ and a hope for a happily ever after.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Y'all I'm emo about these idiots I love them so much, what should I write next? Let me know in the comments or on my Tumblr!


End file.
